Furnace for burning natural gas



(No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. W. J. WARD.

FURNAGB FOR BURNING NATURAL GAS.

No. 342,487. Patented Ma. 25, 1886.

N EH5 Pmwmxm m nm Washington. a. c.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. J. WARD.

FURNACE FOR BURNING NATURAL GAS.

No. 342,487. Patented May 25, 1886.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. WARD, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

FURNACE FOR BURNING NATURAL GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 342,487, dated May 25,1886.

Application filed September 18, 1585. Serial No. 177,468.

(No model.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM J. WARD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFurnaces for Burning Natural Gas; and I do declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part ofthis specification.

This invention has for its object to furnish an improved mechanism forburning natural gas; and it consists in the construction and arrangementof parts hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the furnace andmyimproved burner applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on theline X X, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is alongitudinal section of aportion of themain pipe on an enlarged scale. Fig. 4 is a detail view of an oblongfunnel-shaped burner and an oblong funnel-shaped air-pipe arrangedwithin the burner. Fig. 5shows a round funnel-shaped burner and a roundfunnel-shaped air-pipe arranged therein.

In my improvement I construct a furnace, (1, having wing-walls aarranged near to the boiler, the lower ends of said wings being broughtnearly together below the said boiler so as to provide a throat, a,leading up from the furnace, and narrow flues a a between the boiler andthe said wings. The purpose. of this is to cause the flame to bedistributed more evenly over the surface of the boiler. The flamesarising from the burners need to be more confined than the heat andflame from coal. The construction shown will not prevent the use of coalas a fuel in the furnace a, though the wing-walls will of course offersome slight obstruction to the heat and flame from the said coal.

One object of my improvement is to provide such a construction as can beused either for natural gas or coal.

Below the front end of the grate-bars b, I arrange my gas-reservoir c,which is provided with a series of burners, c. The burners c" arecomposed of the tip 0 and the base 0. The base is enlarged, as shown, soas to receive the upper end of the air-tube 0* and have a space aroundand above the upper end of the airtube 0'. as shown. Immediately overthe reservoir I erect two bridge-walls, e f, the front one beingslightly lower than the back one. The gas rises between the two walls,and the body of air will give it an upward draft toward the boiler. Thebase 0 of the burner has its end plate, 0", perforated to receive thetip 6 as shown. The end plate, 0 projects inward and over the spacewithin the base, and serves as a check-plate to prevent the gas fromblowing in a direct line from the main cylinder through the burner. Thegasstrikes the end plate, and is deflected to the tip, and as it entersthe latter the air is mixed with it. The upper end of the air-pipeprojects slightly into the lower open end of the base, and serves toprevent the gas from blowing through the burner.

Each air pipe or tube 0 has its lower end secured in asuitable openingin the lower part of the main pipe 0, and it extends across the saidmain pipe and into the lower end of the base of one of the burners. Itsupper end projects slightly into the lower end of the base, so as tohave a wide chamber between it and the top or end plate of the saidbase. The lower end of the air-tube may be set flush with the outersurface of the reservoir, or may be projected outward, as shown. Byhaving the lower end of the air tube open and conr mnnicating directlywith the outer air, a better draft is secured than where the air isbrought through long pipes to the said airtube. The ends of thereservoir are closed, and tapped into one end is the inlet-pipe d.

The reservoir and the inlet-pipe are made of relative diameters of eightto two. For all ordinary furnaces a reservoir eight inches in diameter,having a supply-pipe two inches in diameter, is large enough. The innerend of the supply-pipe is bent laterally, so as to throw the gas againstthe side of the reservoir. This breaks the momentum of the inflowinggas, and the latter is prevented from blowing past the first burners.The gas is thus freed from all currents, and the burners nearest theinlet-pipe will show the same colored blaze as those farthest removed.If this momentum was not broken, the burners nearest the inletpipe wouldshow a blue blaze,and those farthest away would show a white blaze. Theblue blaze is caused by the too rapid movement of the gas, and it doesnot contain the heating properties of the white blaze.

I have shown a T-head n the inner end of the inlet-pipe. I prefer tomake it thus. A single end would throw all the gas to one side, whilethe T end divides the intlowing gas, which is thereby more generallydistributed into the reservoir. One of the great purposes to beaccomplished in the burning of natural gas is to prevent currents orblowing.

It will be seen that by my construction no blowing can take place,whilethe needed pressure from the expansion of the gas is fullypreserved. The gas is forced equally through all the burners. It isprevented from blowing through all the burners by the air-tube, whichreduces the inlet-space into the base. After entering the base itscourse is broken, and it is thoroughly mixed with air in the open spaceabove the air-tube, and it is then sent up U through the tip by pressurealone.

I have arranged my improvements in connection with the ordi nary i'urnacegrate. This is done so thatin case of failure from any cause in thesupply of gas a coal tire could be used.

I have so arranged the gas-reservoir that it can be turned part way fromthe grate-bars when a coal fire is employed. his saves the burners frominjury.

In operation the flame from the burners is carried through the throatand against the wings, which serve as a deflector to throw the saidblaze against the sides of the boiler. The wings also serve todistribute the blaze uniformly over the surface ofthe boiler, andthereby the latter is heated quicker and more uniformly. The action ofthe wings in distrib uting the flame prevents the boiler from beingburned by too great a heat on any one part.

By the relative construction of the reservoir and inlet-pipe I secure apressure of four ounces to the square inch, which is found to be maximumpressure under which natural gas A greater pressure gives a blue willburn.

blaze, a less pressure poor blaze.

In Fig. a I have shown the burner having its tip made oblong andslightly funnel-shaped, and the air -pipe made with corresponding form.This construction spreads the blaze and gives a very high degree ofheat.

In Fig. a round funnel-shaped tip and corresponding funnel-shapedair-pipe are shown. These also spread the blaze; but I prefer theconstruction shown in Fig. 5.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, 1s

1. In a device for burning natural gas, the combination, with thereservoir, of a burner having an enlarged base and an air-pipe havingits lower end secured in the lower portion of the reservoir and openingdirectly outward, and having its upper end projected slightly into thebase of the burner, where a chamber is formed between the end of thesaid air-pipe and the upper end of the base of the said burner,substantially as set forth.

gives a flickering and 2. The combination, with a gas receiver orreservoir provided with an inlet-pipe at one end thereof. and having aseries of burners arranged along the same, of a brake arranged withinthe reservoir near to and between the inlet-opening and the openings forthe burners, whereby the impetus of the gasis checked and turnedlaterally against the sides of the receiver or reservoir, substantiallyas set forth, and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination, with the fire-chamber of an ordinary furnace, of agas-reservoirprovided with burners. said reservoir being journaled inthe side walls of the furnace, beneath the gratebars, whereby it may beturned part way from the grate bars, substantially as shown, and for thepurpose specified.

- In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

WILLIAM J. \VARD.

